For your first question, I don’t know if a test exists, but it is possible. Antibodies from vaccination will be antibodies to spike only, whereas antibodies to actual infection with sars cov2 would potentially include antibodies to envelope proteins and membrane proteins in addition to spike. I don’t know if anyone has taken the time to develop this test though.

Congrats Anymouse, we miss you.

Nice article Perl. my (least) favourite adage… ”everything happens for a reason…”

Thank you Kiki, hugs to you too!

I feel like I’m living very well at the moment, thanks for asking. I’m fully vaxed and 2x boosted. Daily I do an outdoor swim with no real need for masking. I also garden pretty much every day at my allotment where I’ve got a bunch of friends (side benefit, I have so many veggies that I never have to go into a store to buy any), and several times a week go hiking with a group of buddys. (We are all vaxed) we eat out at outdoor cafes and patios only, and only if they’re not too crowded. I mask up in pharmacies and groceries or any indoor environments with the public. I mask for myself but also for the people who are immune compromised. One of my young neighbours had cancer and has to be so very careful, so I think of people like her that we all have to help. I plan to continue to mask thru the fall and winter when indoors. In my area, many people still masking in drug stores etc which is great. Lastly, I don’t do anything that I feel is too risky, COVID isn’t worth the risk.

I’m not in the US but your actions help all of us. Wish more people were thoughtful like you.

I appreciate all you do Vaxxylady…i almost never comment, but I do want to thank you for the work you do on this site.

I’ve known 1 person to die of the flu. He was young, about 35, diabetic, and had refused the flu vaccine despite his doctors advice to take it. He was evacuated to a different city and soon died of the infection. For COVID I’ve known 4 people who died…one pre vaccine, 2 others had comorbidities and age, had been vaccinated with 2 shots before the booster dose was available. The other person who died was a healthy man with no comorbidities who had 2 shots but was not eligible for the booster when he contracted the infection. He died in january ‘22 at age 63; it will be several years before scientists can unravel the reasons behind some people getting severe disease, while others have minor symptoms. His Mother is devastated, and I think of her whenever I get boosters or wear a mask...to help myself and everyone else. So final tally: flu observed over 50 yrs=1, COVID over 2 yrs=4

Thanks Mary, I was able to read it on my phone. The rising death count (almost certainly an underestimate) is still something I have trouble wrapping my head around.

I also recommend TWiV. The latest TWiV update by Dr Griffin (update number 114) was especially good…at about 10 minute mark, he talked about a study of trained dogs sniffing out SARS CoV 2 infection. Their success rate came in at between 92-98%. Daniel covered a lot in this episode, including what to do if one tests positive, paxlovid, children and COVID etc.

@Anti-phucktard I also love TWIV , TWEvo and really anything that Vincent Raciniello does. I have a background in genetics and biotech and I agree their podcasts are sometimes very technical (but I love the detail they get into…). Dr Griffin’s updates are really practical and he’s a great communicator. I like it that they never talk down to the audience, and I’ve really benefitted from some of Vincent’s “rants” as he calls them.

Definitely grateful for the vaccines. Without them we would be having huge waves with many many more deaths. Not a day goes by that I'm a not thankful for the jabs that are literally saving our lives.

Hello all, I'm Needled...I picked it due to the double meaning (obviously) of being vaxed to the max while being super irritated with those who don't follow the science. Late last summer, I had just lost patience with "anti vaxers", and felt like I was about to lose my mind. Then I found this website and it pretty much saved my sanity. I don't comment much but I do enjoy all your funny, perceptive, and clever comments...I've learned a lot about American society (I'm not in the USA), and looked on with horror at some of the things going on there. Thanks to Vaxman and Vaxylady for this site, and thanks Fish Guy for this thread.